National parks closest to Washington County, IA

Written by:
November 14, 2023
Canva

National parks closest to Washington County, IA

After the hottest summer on record, it's a wonderful time to hit the great outdoors.

The United States is home to 63 national parks, from Yellowstone National Park to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia. The former, located in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, became the world's first national park in 1872 and includes 10,000 hydrothermal features; the latter is the newest national park and hosts the longest steel arch span in the Western Hemisphere. So, the country's park system encompasses something for everyone.

It's not surprising then that these scenic getaways have drawn millions of travelers every year. The National Park Service reported just shy of 312 million recreational visits last year, the most since 2019. Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee was by far the most popular national park, with 12.9 million visits. Grand Canyon (Arizona), Zion (Utah), Rocky Mountain (Colorado), and Acadia (Maine) rounded out the top five.

For park enthusiasts, more good news looks to be on the way. Congress is expected to add Georgia's Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park as the nation's 64th crown jewel before the end of the year. It'd be the first national park co-managed by a tribal group that was forcibly removed from its land and the first national park in Georgia. But others—including perhaps the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Alaska's Tongass National Forest, and Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona—are vying for the honor.

Wondering where to go next that's not too far from home? Stacker compiled a list of the national parks closest to Washington County. Straight line distance from Washington County to each national park was used to determine the ranking. County coordinates from the Census Bureau and national park coordinates from NPS were used in the calculation.

When planning your next adventure, know your limits before you go, and check whether the park has regulations or requires permits or reservations. Create backup and emergency plans, and be aware of your surroundings when you arrive. NPS asks visitors to stay within designated areas, watch wildlife responsibly, and keep safety in mind. Animals should not be approached, harassed, touched, or fed, and children and pets must be supervised closely.

1 / 25
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

#25. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 997 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

2 / 25
Manamana // Shutterstock

#24. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 987 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

3 / 25
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#23. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 981 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

4 / 25
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

#22. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)

- Distance: 978 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

5 / 25
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

#21. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 976 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

6 / 25
Manamana // Shutterstock

#20. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 962 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

7 / 25
Doug Meek // Shutterstock

#19. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 951 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

8 / 25
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

#18. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 939 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

9 / 25
SL-Photography // Shutterstock

#17. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 869 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

10 / 25
Canva

#16. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 795 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

11 / 25
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

#15. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 779 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

12 / 25
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

#14. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 734 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

13 / 25
Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

#13. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 730 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

14 / 25
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

#12. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 706 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

15 / 25
Steve Heap // Shutterstock

#11. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)

- Distance: 620 miles
- Park area: 7,021 acres

16 / 25
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#10. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 618 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

17 / 25
Canva

#9. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)

- Distance: 595 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

18 / 25
Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

#8. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 572 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

19 / 25
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#7. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 528 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

20 / 25
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

#6. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 497 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

21 / 25
Canva

#5. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 483 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

22 / 25
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#4. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 475 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

23 / 25
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#3. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 414 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

24 / 25
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

#2. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 241 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

25 / 25
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

#1. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 204 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 3,119 counties.

Trending Now